Arsenal ended their four-game winless run against Aston Villa in a six-goal thriller to restore their Premier League title lead. A draw and two defeats, including defeat to Manchester City, led to the Gunners playing low in confidence as their title ambitions dwindled, but two late goals at Villa Park prevented Mikel Arteta's men from happening. In the first half, Bukayo Saka's superb effort canceled out Ollie Watkins' early opener and Philippe Coutinho put Villa back in front. Arsenal had a number of chances on goal in the second half, with Oleksandr Zinchenko a surprise scorer to pull them back level when he headed an effort into the back of the net from the edge of the box. Martin Odegaard missed a glorious chance, prompting Arsenal to believe it might not be their day. However, Jorginho was out to prove otherwise. The deadline day signing from Chelsea saw his effort hit the bar but rolled off the back of Amy Martinez's head and into the back of the net. Second-half substitute Gabriel Martinelli capitalized on Villa's last-ditch effort to equalize with Martinez dribbling the ball into an empty net to add gloss to the win. A number of teams around Arsenal dropped points at the weekend and the Gunners will relish opportunities to pick up maximum points from their next few games.
With that in mind, football london examines the league leaders' next five fixtures compared to their main rivals this season.
Another challenging game awaits Arsenal away from home with Leicester buoyed by recent results which included a 4-1 thrashing of the Gunners' north London rivals Tottenham at the King Power Stadium. Bournemouth could be considered the easiest of Arsenal's next run of games, but they should not be taken lightly. After a draw with Newcastle, the Cherries drew level by beating Wolves at Molineux. Fulham almost dominated Arsenal at the start of the season but two late goals put them ahead. Since that game, the Cottagers have managed to maintain their impressive form and will fancy their chances when the Gunners come to town. Fulham were written off by Brighton in their most recent Premier League match, but proved capable of defending for large parts of a game and Manor Solomon came out on top at the end. Patrick Vieira is set for another reunion at Arsenal next month as he brings Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium. Perhaps the best word to describe the Eagles is 'inconsistent'.
In one game they can attack with real vigor and defend admirably, yet in the following match they can look bereft of ideas and weak at the back.
Arsenal should not underestimate their unpredictability as they have the potential to cause a major upset. Arsenal saw their run of four games without a win snapped at the hands of Premier League title rivals Manchester City after the defending champions secured a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta's defeat left them top of the league table for the first time this season. Kevin De Bruyne capitalized on a mistake by Takehiro Tomiyasu to put the visitors ahead, but Arsenal hit back through Bukayo Saka just before Ederson fouled Eddy Nketiah. After struggling in the second half, City regained the lead through Jack Grealish after Gabriel Magalhas won possession. Erling Haaland sealed the victory with a shot from close range after receiving De Bruyne's pass. The Gunners therefore remain on 51 points, with City now joining them on that list alongside a host of teams expected to miss out on the title race. Arsenal will be hoping to immediately respond to their poor run of form when they travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa under former manager Unai Emery. City managed to get past Villa with relative ease last weekend and the Gunners will be hoping for a similar result on Saturday Two wins with eight goals in their last two Premier League games presents a very different Leicester City to those who have struggled for points on so many occasions this season. The Foxes' 4-1 win over Tottenham at the King Power will certainly worry Arteta, especially now that James Maddison has returned from injury and Harvey Barnes and Kelechi Iheanacho are in top form. A few weeks after their defeat to Sean Dyche's Everton, Arsenal welcomed them to the Emirates Stadium for the match that was due to take place in September. The Toffees expertly nullified the Gunners' attacking threat at Goodison Park and Arteta will be hoping this doesn't happen again at Everton, sitting back and trying to hit the Gunners on the counter.
Bournemouth are considered the easiest of Arsenal's next run of games, but they should not be taken lightly. The Cherries were unlucky not to beat Newcastle at the weekend and they will certainly pose a threat to the Gunners if they are underestimated. Arsenal haven't lost at Craven Cottage in over a decade, but this Fulham side assembled by Marco Silva proved they are more than capable of competing against the big-hitters. Arteta's side will need to be in top form to secure victory, as evidenced when the Cottagers almost walked out of the Emirates Stadium with three points.
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